Online dating for expats living in Canada

According to the Cartus 2014 Trends on Global Relocation, 30 percent of expats are single – and the way to meet each other could be online dating.

Meeting a ‘significant other’ can be especially hard when you’re an expat in a foreign country. You might not speak the same language as the locals, understand cultural differences or the ‘rules’ of dating in Canada – and how do you meet all those other expats?

When residing in Canada, even though you may meet potential partners through work or college, friends or colleagues, online dating is a great way to get in touch with people of all nationalities, from all walks of life, people that you might otherwise never meet in person, especially if you’re new in town and haven't had time to establish yourself in a social circle.

Online dating is now the norm – and it works. Recent surveys have shown that one in five relationships worldwide start online, that a quarter of online daters met their long-term partners through a dating website, and that you’re twice as likely to get married if you meet a partner online than offline.

You can use online dating as a means of getting in touch with other like-minded people and meet up face-to-face as soon as you come across anyone interesting. Or you can exchange emails or texts while the relationship blossoms.

Let’s get started

You need to find a website that’s right for you. Having something in common is an important factor when it comes to choosing a mate, so if you’re looking for love on a site designed specifically for expats – like Expatica – you’re already one step ahead of the game: you know from the outset that you share a common experience.

Have a look at each site and who uses it – are they people you can identify with? If you like what you see, register, create your own profile and upload a photo or two.

Browsing tips

Resist flicking through and dismissing profiles too quickly: consider each one carefully.

Try not to judge too much by the photo – some people just don’t take a good pic, and most people are much more attractive when they’re animated than they are in a mug shot.

Don’t rule out someone immediately just because they’re not your ‘type’.

Don’t get hung up on small details. Just because you don’t share the same favourite film doesn’t mean you won’t get on – and you won’t necessarily click with someone who has an identical list of interests. Try to take a wider view: does the person seem intelligent, like-minded, interesting…?

Be circumspect about what people say. When you read ‘I’ve got a great sense of humour’, is it Eddie Izzard, Louis CK or Benny Hill who makes them laugh? Instead, look for the humour in the way they express themselves.

Don’t get despondent if you don’t meet someone you connect with early on. Like meeting someone in the real, rather than virtual, world it takes time to meet someone special.

You can easily start to feel close to someone through emailing or texting but until you meet up you won’t know whether you’re really compatible.